With a personal computer and an appropriate software package, a user can produce virtually any type of document that may be desired. For example, word processing software is used to produce text documents. Graphic design or computer-aided design software can be used to produce diagrams, charts, graphs, designs, etc. Spreadsheet software allows a user to manage large amounts of financial and other types of information. Database software similarly allows a user to manage various databases of information such as, client contact information, address and phone number information or “to do” items.
Frequently, it is desirable to generate a hardcopy of a document or data set that is produced or stored on a personal computer or server. A hardcopy may be desired, for example, for record keeping purposes or to share with another party. Consequently, a wide variety of printers and printing devices have been developed that can receive a print job from a host computer and produce a hardcopy of the document or data represented by that print job.
One example of a printing device is an inkjet printer. A typical inkjet has an array of precisely formed nozzles attached to a print head substrate. Behind each nozzle is an ink ejection chamber that receives liquid ink from a reservoir. Pressure is selectively created in the ejection chambers to drive a small amount of ink through the respective nozzles. The ink ejection may be driven by thermally, mechanically, electrically, magnetically, and/or piezo-electrically activated means. Activation of the nozzles takes place in response to a signal generated by a processor. Properly sequencing the activation of each nozzle in the array in response to signals corresponding to a print job causes characters and/or images to form as the print head is moved with respect to a print medium, such as a piece of paper.
Printing operations have been limited in that they have not printed images on the entire surface of the print medium. Instead, printing devices have formed an image that was surrounded by a ‘border’ or region that was unused or unprinted. Recent efforts have focused on ‘borderless’ printing. Borderless printing involves the capability of forming an image on the entire surface up to and including the edges.
However, as ink is applied near the edges of a print medium, droplets of ink may miss the print medium and land on the surfacing supporting the print medium or other parts of the interior of the printing device. This is referred to as an “over-spray.” If this over-sprayed ink is allowed to remain on any surface supporting or in contact with the print medium, the over-sprayed ink may undesirably mark the edges or back side of the print medium during the printing operation. In addition, print media introduced for subsequent print operations may also be undesirably marked by the over-sprayed ink, regardless of whether the print operation was ‘borderless’ or not. As a result, some printing devices that attempt borderless printing make use of a system to wick away any over-sprayed ink from the surface of the support.
Some of these systems utilize a foam top layer and a felt bottom layer separated by a physical gap. The over-sprayed ink is adsorbed by the foam top layer where it is retained until the foam becomes sufficiently saturated to drip the accumulated over-sprayed ink onto the bottom felt layer for containment. However, while this ink remains in the foam, the ink may still come into contact with the print medium and undesirably mark the print medium. Accordingly, print speed may be limited by the saturation characteristics of the foam in an effort to avoid this possibility.